Enrollment
260
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 192682001571
Runnells Elementary — Runnells, IA
Federal NCES profile for Runnells Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 60
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Southeast Polk Comm School District · Iowa
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.0%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Runnells Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Runnells Elementary reports 260 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the Iowa average and 56% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 520 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Southeast Polk Comm School District spends $17,121 per pupil district-wide, below the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.9% from local sources (property taxes), 52.1% from the state, and 10.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Runnells Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Iowa state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.8:1 | ▲ 5% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.0% | ▼ 37% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 260 | top 38% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
23.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 73% in Iowa — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$17,121
per pupil, district-wide
— below Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 520 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 260 Top 38% in Iowa — larger than 62% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 15.8:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.0% -37% vs state
NCES ID 192682001571
Student demographics
White 83.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.7%
Two or More 3.8%
African American 3.5%
Asian 1.9%
Largest group: White at 83.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 520:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southeast Polk Comm School District, which includes Runnells Elementary.
$17,121
Per student
-1%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.9%
State 52.1%
Federal 10.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,722
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,112
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Runnells Elementary
How many students attend Runnells Elementary?
Runnells Elementary has 260 students enrolled. It is a other school in Runnells, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Runnells Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Runnells Elementary is 15.8:1, which is 5% higher than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Runnells Elementary?
23.0% of students at Runnells Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Runnells Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Runnells Elementary is White at 83.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Runnells, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Runnells Elementary?
Runnells Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.